Renault MORPHOZ previews possibilities of shared electric mobility beyong 2025

• Designed to support an electric ecosystem with vehicle-to-grid technology and conduction charging

• Artificial Intelligence creates a spacious and connected cabin with a focus on passenger wellbeing

• Smart, modular, crossover vehicle designed for a shared electric future

• Showcases Renault’s innovative vision of sustainable mobility for all beyond 2025

• Developed on the new CMF-EV platform heralding a new family of Renault electric models

• Ability to physically and technologically adapt between two modes depending on driver needs

• Blends attributes of a saloon, SUV and coupé into unique design optimised for efficiency and ease

• Equipped with Level 3 autonomy to improve safety of passengers, pedestrians and cyclists

The MORPHOZ concept is Renault’s vision of personal, shareable, electric mobility of the future. The smart, modular, crossover vehicle is able to physically and technologically adapt whether it’s being used for a short commute, trip to the shops or a longer journey. The vehicle is able to recognise and welcome the driver but is fully shareable which features a number of autonomous technologies for improved convenience and safety.

Drawing on the Alliance’s new modular CMF-EV 100% electric platform, it offers a number of different configurations for power, capacity and range, as well as user options and boot space. The concept is faithful to the brand’s DNA embodying Renault’s Family Petal design strategy and heralds a new family of electric models over the coming years.

The Renault MORPHOZ concept represents changes in technology, society, the environment and human behaviour. It is a key element of several transformational ecosystems which place sharing as a fundamental principle. Groupe Renault is already strongly involved in supporting the mobility revolution with products, services and solutions. Its strategy is to become a supplier of smart mobility solutions for the cities and regions of the future.

The electric ecosystem

The electric vehicle has a major role in energy transition as part of a smarter, increasingly comprehensive electric ecosystem. So much so that this role now extends beyond just the driving and the home charging point. Naturally, batteries are at the centre of this operation. Groupe Renault is already concentrating efforts into developing a second life for its batteries, such as in the Advanced Battery Storage project or the Black Swan electric boat. With the MORPHOZ concept, it is now looking at a different area: the dual use of batteries.

When not being used for driving, the MORPHOZ’s batteries remain in the car but can power appliances in the house or the local area via smart charging devices and V2G (Vehicle to Grid) bi-directional technology. Batteries used in the extended Travel mode are taken out of the vehicle and stored in a charging station for use in other vehicles or to power equipment such as selfservice bicycle charging stations or street lighting.

Renault believes that it has a key role and responsibility to do everything it can to reduce the carbon footprint of vehicles and other technological solutions. With the MORPHOZ and its battery-sharing system, there is no need to produce batteries with a nominal 90kWh capacity for every vehicle. Limiting production in this way is good for the carbon footprint and the environment.

The family and new neighbourhood ecosystem

The MORPHOZ embodies the Me/We concept, which says that what is one persons can be shared. It challenges the idea of the car as private, and instead encourages shared use. It meets all the family’s requirements, meaning they don’t have to buy a second or even a third vehicle when it’s not necessary or the need for a larger vehicle for occasional reasons.

It meets the needs of new kinds of community that are developing around digital infrastructures, regenerative resources and social well-being. As a single vehicle which can also serve the communal well-being, it suits new patterns of living in these urban communities, such as the co-living trend in housing.

The sharing capabilities of the MORPHOZ are central to this philosophy, with the removal of keys and starting cards. It also anticipates regulations which will soon insist on car-sharing for all cars. Everything is accessed using the smartphone, which works as a digital key. This makes sharing with other people easier without the need to swap keys, instead drivers receive an unlocking code which lets the driver access and use the vehicle for a pre-determined period.

Connectivity and Artificial Intelligence

For more than 120 years, Renault has put humans at the centre of its philosophies when designing and developing its vehicles. This focus emphasises the brand’s desire to support its customers through their life-long aspirations and needs, leading to the creation of true family cars like the R16, Clio and Captur.

With the MORPHOZ concept this philosophy is key, taking it a step further, as everything on board revolves around the passenger and human interactions. Artificial intelligence (AI), connectivity and other clever features combine to immerse driver and passengers in a welcoming and calm environment.

The AI operates before anyone has even entered the vehicle, using its sensors to detect and recognise the driver on approach. It activates a light sequence on the doors to indicate recognition. The driver just waves to activate the welcome sequence, which unlocks and opens the doors, automatically positions the seat and adjusts the interior lighting to the driver’s preferences and mood. The driver also hears the AI’s welcoming voice. The cabin is crossed by a raised centre console which represents the brain of the MORPHOZ. There is a special holder for the driver’s smartphone, which is then drawn into the console’s wooden panel to serve as the main data source. The AI will then, if authorised, use data and information from the smartphone to perform its tasks.

The AI lets the driver see the surrounding area by processing real-time data from external sensors and images from the vehicle cameras, especially the set which replace the door mirrors. Light displays on the inner doors and windows signal the presence of a pedestrian or a cyclist in the blind spot.

Onboard the MORPHOZ, the driver’s and passengers’ smartphones are detected automatically, and each person can continue to listen to their favourite music relayed through the speakers in the seats. A journey planned at home will be automatically picked up by the navigation system, which will send a route of the last distance to be walked to the driver’s smartphone once the vehicle is parked close to the destination. The Renault MORPHOZ will require authorisation in order to use the smartphone data to ensure privacy of anyone who gets in or uses the sharing functions within the car.

The social role of the AI on board is clear by the shared screen located between the seats on the centre console. This is where passengers can scroll through the music library on one of their smartphones or where they can play video games against each other. This screen also lets the users control the comfort of the cabin through the MULTI SENSE settings.

The AI doesn’t wait for the passengers to act before making suggestions. It is able to offer a trip playlist to suit the mood and preferences of each occupant and adapts to the situation using practical information, such as the diary of each person, and detects opportunities in accordance with preferences and tastes.

Electrixc design with efficiency and personality

In both Travel and City modes, the MORPHOZ blends the attributes of a saloon, SUV and coupé. This unique mix of styles is made possible by the use of the all-new CMF-EV modular platform which has been specially designed for its electric powertrain. The bodywork has an elegant Ivory Gold metallic finish and Electric Yellow details which contrast with the gloss black of the interior.

The concept previews a specific light signature which will be used on future electric vehicles with the distinctive Renault CShape lighting enlarged to extend along the entire bumper. It’s adaptability means the lighting has a different look in City mode and in Travel mode, while the front wings are decorated with a backlit badge which displays the vehicle’s name when in Travel mode. With the electric powertrain not requiring the same level of cooling as an ICE, the radiator grille is closed and the size of the air inlets on the bumper are reduced in Travel mode for greater aerodynamic efficiency. The bonnet features two high-tech vents to cool the MORPHOZ’s main computers, which are clustered around the powertrain.

The wheels combine diamond-effect wheels and wheel trims which allows the sidewalls of the 22-inch tyres to be partially covered, to give the wheel assembly a more fluid design. The wide, fully enclosed wheels improve the aerodynamic flow and improve the efficiency. The tyres are optimised to reduce rolling resistance.

In City mode, the MORPHOZ features a slim front wing, but when Travel mode is selected the vertical section expands as the bodywork and wheelbase lengthen. Its primary role is to display the capacity meter of the onboard batteries but its black and yellow finish also makes it stand out from the rest of the bodywork. A symbol of the vehicle’s increased range and power, this new design feature will appear on some of the Renault electric vehicles in the future. The design is a nod of recognition to the history of Renault, a reminder of the side ventilation grilles which appeared on several models between 1910 and 1920, such as the Type DG, which had no need for ventilation via the front end panel – similar to electric cars today.

Moving through the side of the concept, the rear quarter light pillar is symbolic of the way the MORPHOZ is able to change its shape in the two versions. In City mode, it is an elegant combination of yellow and black lines, as on the dashboard but these lines are actually two separate surfaces which become apparent in

Travel mode when the vehicle extends. the active bodywork will move the rear wings out, like the side flaps on a fighter plane, by a few centimetres to allow the chassis to slide as the vehicle switches from one mode to the other, while maintaining the continuity of the surface. The slimline rear lights create a shimmering effect and form an entire strip to give the MORPHOZ a wider and more assertive presence. Like the 2017 SYMBIOZ concept, the vertical high-level brake light is suspended from the blade of the roof spoiler where its graphic finish is repeated on the rear fog light beneath the bumper.

When the Renault MORPHOZ is in City mode, the boot is drawn in to reduce overhang and make driving and parking in town easier. This becomes stretched and more aerodynamic in Travel mode and as the change occurs, the etched name of the vehicle appears on the bumper. Two air deflectors extend the flat bottom at the rear and these active components are able to adapt to the ride height for maximum efficiency at all times.

Instead of door mirrors, the Renault MORPHOZ is equipped with digital HD cameras. The images they provide are projected onto interior screens and used as inputs to the artificial intelligence, which combines them with data from external sensors to warn the driver of potential hazards.